To the editor:
We appreciate the thoughtful questions about the Monument Mountain Regional High School Building Project and the upcoming Proposition 2½ debt exclusion vote.
Both the total project budget and local share are legally capped. Voters are being asked to approve a specific borrowing authorization that limits what the district can spend. The total project budget is $152 million, with a local share of about $89 million after anticipated reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The MSBA has committed $59 million to $61 million in state funding, which becomes guaranteed once voters approve the project on November 4. MassSaves is contributing an additional $1.6 million.
If bids come in higher than expected, the School Building Committee would use built-in contingencies or value-engineering to stay within the approved budget. Conversely, if the project comes in under budget, those local savings are returned to the towns and reduce the overall tax burden.
Tax impact figures shared publicly reflect current interest rates and borrowing assumptions, consistent with state guidelines.
This is the same process followed by every Massachusetts district, town, or city, participating in the MSBA’s Core Program, ensuring fiscal responsibility, oversight, and transparency.
Peter Dillon
Superintendent, Berkshire Hills Regional School District
Stockbridge
Click here to read The Berkshire Edge’s policy for submitting Letters to the Editor.
